Death threat to Teo Nie Ching yet another despicable act of criminal intimidation upon elected representatives

Press statement by Teresa Kok, Selangor State Senior EXCO and Member of Parliament for Seputeh issued on 19 January 2011 in Shah Alam.

The death threat to Teo Nie Ching yet another despicable act of criminal intimidation upon elected representatives

I unreservedly condemn the despicable death threat received by Teo Nie Ching, MP for Serdang, in the form of the bloody slashed chicken and vile death threat poster stuck on the door of the DAP Sungai Chua branch this morning.

The scoundrels behind this crime display their lack of human decency and most of all, their own incapacity or refusal to discuss issues of contention in a calm, civil and rational manner.

Teo Nie Ching’s experience is just the latest in a long string of cases where Opposition elected representatives have received death threats.

In August 2010, Tony Pua, MP for PJ Utara, received an M16 bullet and a death threat note.

In September 2009, a coward who used the pseudonym “hanturaya” wrote on my blog, “teresa, kau ni perlu diajar dgn darah t.kasih (sic)”

In September 2008, a molotov cocktail was thrown into my family home together with a note that said they would set my family and I on fire.

To date, the police have failed to nab the perpetrators of these death threats.

The perpetrators and the public should be made to know that hate speech as per Sections 211 and 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and making threats to commit acts of violence as stated in Section 503 of the Penal Code are crimes under Malaysian law.

Therefore, I urge the police to act upon all these criminal acts and bring the criminals to book. Failure to do so will send a tacit message to the criminals that the crimes they commit are tolerated and can escape unpunished.

At the same time, the police must take all steps necessary to assure the safety and security of Teo Nie Ching, her family and her staff.

Teresa Kok